Three Cape Town desalination plants to deliver water in May

The water is still desperately needed.

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – FEBRUARY 06: A view of the City of Cape Town's R240m temporary desalination plant at Strandfontein Pavilion on February 06, 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa. Its alleged that the desalination plant will only start producing the first two million litres of an expected seven million a day in March 2018. (Photo by Gallo Images/Brenton Geach)

For over a year now, residents of Cape Town have heard about the city’s big plans for three desalination plants. Of course, they would take time to build, but things also ran a bit behind schedule.

Cape Town desalination plants progress

On Wednesday, Mayoral Committee member Xanthea Limberg confirmed that construction and water quality testing at the plants have been completed.

While the Strandfontein plant was expected to go online in March, the Monwabisi plant was supposed to launch at the beginning of April. The plant at the V&A Waterfront did start producing water, the quality, however, was not up to scratch and the city was not happy.

The City of Cape Town funded the plants from its own budget and not from the budget of the national Department of Water and Sanitation. Limberg says the completion of the plants was delayed due to the testing process taking longer than expected, as well as funding issues.

The Monwabisi and Strandfontein plants are expected to produce seven million litres per day. Each facility cost around R250m. The Waterfront facility will deliver just two million litres per day.

The City has also announced new pressure management plans to help reduce usage and combat the drought.

The plans will see new technology added in 25 specific areas that the city has identified to be the best suited.

“Not only does pressure management generally lower consumption by reducing the rate at which water flows to properties, it also reduces leaks and pipe bursts by better ensuring that pressure remains within levels that the pipework can tolerate, and reduces the rate of loss from leaks and bursts,” the City of Cape Town said in a statement.

The City will have contractors out installing the pressure management systems on Thursday 17 May from 20:00 to 02:00. The water supply will be suspended for some 2 032 households in those areas at the time.